Original staff return for Princess Project 31 restoration

Some of the original employees who built the first Princess Project 31 have returned to Plymouth for the firm’s golden anniversary restoration

Princess Yachts has announced the team that will be working on its golden anniversary restoration project, including some of the staff who worked on the original model.

The aim of Princess Project 31 @ 50 is to restore the Plymouth yard’s first model with a mix of new technologies and traditional craftsmanship.

To that end, Princess has rehired Peter Moore (pictured above), Colin Grills, Dave Cotter, Eddie Rawle and RP Kerslake, all of whom worked at Marine Projects back in the 1960s.

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Peter has fond memories of his time at Princess. “There was a lot of laughter but getting the job done was the most important thing. Everyone all mucked in together,” he recalls.

The old guard will be joined by two boatbuilding apprentices, 19-year-old trainee engineer Callum Wilkinson, and Sam Bridgeman, 21, who is on the carpentry apprenticeship.

They will bring their experience from working on the current Princess superyacht range.

The fully restored Princess Project 31 will be unveiled at the Cannes Yachting Festival on September 8, alongside the brand new Princess 35M.

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